TheBanyanTree: Nella's Seafood Gumbo

[Mike Pingleton]

When the cold breath of winter beckons, a young man's thoughts turn
to...gumbo.  Sometime in October or November I'll turn to Nell and say
"you know what sounds good?" and without missing a beat she'll say
"seafood gumbo."

Nell has be whipping up batches of this stuff for ten years or so,
giving her plenty of time to perfect her recipe.  Anyone who has
broken bread with us on Gumbo Night is an instant convert.  As a buddy
of mine says, "it's so good if you put it on your head your tongue
would beat your brains out trying to get to it."  'Nuff said.

In _Dandelion Wine_, Ray Bradbury's magical classic, Grandma gets her
first pair of spectacles, and her cooking skills go straight to hell. 
A lifetime of a pinch of this and a scoop of that resulted in culinary
excellence; exact measurements and careful proportions resulting from
perfect vision brought nothing but ruin.  Cooking gumbo is like that -
keep one eye closed or squint both of them as you go.

Nella's Seafood Gumbo

1 cup flour
1 cup butter-flavored Crisco shortening
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 quart of stock (Nell uses either chicken or shrimp)
1 lb chicken breast or thigh
1 lb shrimp, peeled
1 lb crawfish tails, peeled
1/2 lb firm flesh white fish (like cod)
1/2 lb andouille sausage (or any similar spicy, savory sausage)
chopped or sliced
1 lb fresh okra (frozen works OK in a pinch)
Old Bay seasoning to taste (1-2 teaspoons)
2 bay leaves
salt to taste (it takes a lot)
fresh ground pepper to taste
tabasco pepper sauce to taste
worcestershire sause (just a dash or two)

water
cooked rice

Start by making a roux, either in a skillet or right in the stock pot
you'll build the gumbo in.  To make the roux, melt the crisco over
med-high heat and add the flour to it, stirring constantly until the
roux is the color of an old penny - make sure all of the roux is
constantly stirred to avoid burning (if the roux starts to smell like
old coffee grounds, it is burned and must be thrown out and start
again from scratch!)

When the old penny color is reached, immediately reduce heat and add
the green pepper, onion and celery.  Mix and stir under low heat until
the 'holy trinity' * are translucent and the mixture is thick.  Add in
the stock, salt, pepper,  Old Bay, bay leaves, tabasco, and additional
water if needed.  Bring to a boil and add in chicken pieces and
sausage.  Allow the chicken to poach until it is cooked through, then
remove and shred or cube.  Return the chicken to the pot; let this
mixture simmer for about 2 hours.  This allows the rich flavors to
develop.  About an hour before serving, add in the okra and cook for
another 30-45 minutes.  Just before serving, add in the fish, shrimp,
and crawfish tails.  Bring the gumbo back to a boil, then turn off
heat when the shrimp turn pink and go all curly (doesn't take but a
few minutes).  Your gumbo is now ready!  Ladle into bowls and top with
rice.  Nella serves this with hot buttered slices of french bread. 
Ice cold beer or a good wine are a perfect accompaniment.  Laissez bon
temps roulez!

For shrimp stock, save the shells from your shrimp and crawfish.  Add
them to cold water with salt and Old Bay (about a teaspoon) and bring
to a boil.  Allow the mixture to boil for a few minutes, then strain
out shells and reserve the liquid.

* onions, celery and green peppers are the 'holy trinity' of cajun cooking.